Show us your bow drill sets!

[Stringmaker]

I've wanted to do something like that for ages but never got round to it.

I like the mix of modern materials with a traditional technique; very nice.

 

[TallTom]

And i find this thread on the evening that I made my first set! So dont judge me too harshly

I tried it once but I think the woods too wet still to get a decent temp, I believe it is hybrid black poplar. The bow is hawthorn.

Update: gave the wood a day to drh and made my first friction fire! Woo

 

[Crank Cuffin]

perhaps it is just me but i feel using a metal bearing is a poor idea and seems to defeat the whole point of the exercise, each to their own of course ATB

Depends what the "whole point of the exercise" is!
If its a survival situation practice with minimal equipment then maybe.
If its a base camp situation then you would have a certain amount of equipment which could include a metal ball-bearing bearing block.
If you are honing your skills then a metal bearing block is a good idea.
A metal bearing cannot be described as a "poor idea" - it is a brilliant idea.

Here's my bearing block - a limpet shell in a turned ash semi sphere.

 

[Clouston98]

Good stuff everyone! Keep them coming!

 

[Joonsy]

Depends what the "whole point of the exercise" is!
A metal bearing cannot be described as a "poor idea" - it is a brilliant idea.

it can because i did so, not brilliant at all to me

The whole point of the exercise is to have the necessary skills to be able to produce fire from materials readily found in the wild. Using a metal ball-bearing hones your skill at using a metal ball-bearing only, it does not hone your skill at making fire with materials readily found in the wild. It is much easier to achieve success with a metal ball-bearing than a natural one (which is why people use one of course) as it dramatically reduces friction at the bearing end which is where many have problems, but the exercise is not to make it as easy as possible but to master the skill of using natural materials you are most likely to find when you need to rely on the skill most. While it is easy to find wood shells and pebbles I have not yet found a metal ball-bearing in the wild, and the trouble with practicing with a metal bearing regular is it gives a false sense of success as you may not be able to produce a coal without it if you lost it, using natural materials is much harder. There is only one scenario where I would use some type of artificial bearing to make the process easy for the user and that is if I was teaching children to boost their confidence as its important for them to feel they’ve succeeded. For those that cannot succeed with a natural bearing I would say sooner than use a metal ball-bearing get a beer/milk bottle top and just bash it into a piece of wood, it costs nothing is easy to find and works just as good. I repeat, using a metal ball-bearing hones your skill at using a metal ball-bearing only, if ‘easy’ is more important than technique then use a cigarette lighter which weighs much less.

If you are having trouble with friction at bearing end use a bottle top instead of a metal ball-bearing, cheap (free) and easy to find (scavenge), weighs nowt, and works just as good, unless you prefer 'pretty' of course.

 

[Crank Cuffin]

The whole point of the exercise is to have the necessary skills to be able to produce fire from materials readily found in the wild.

That may be the whole point for you. Its all subjective.
I stand by my previous post. When honing a lot of skills it is a good idea to start with easier techniques/equipment and build up your skills until you reach the level you want.
Anyway how is a bottle cap deemed "materials readily available in the wild" ?

 

[Joonsy]

That may be the whole point for you. Its all subjective.
I stand by my previous post. When honing a lot of skills it is a good idea to start with easier techniques/equipment and build up your skills until you reach the level you want.
Anyway how is a bottle cap deemed "materials readily available in the wild" ?

actually i never said it was, however you are more likely to find a discarded bottle top than a discarded metal ball-bearing, and its much lighter to carry around as well. each to their own

 

[atlatlman]

Good stuff everyone! Keep them coming!

Every time I see the above post I smile.

 

[Stringmaker]

The debate about ball bearings is kind of irelevant?

How many people who pride themselves on making a set in the wild use paracord and a modern knife?

I know that Chris (Lannyman) wanted to forage and prepare the whole lot but to my knowledge nobody has ever done it, or at least not posted it.

Essentially learning the bow drill is a bit of fun; none of us are likely to ever need to do it for real.

 

[Joonsy]

Essentially learning the bow drill is a bit of fun; none of us are likely to ever need to do it for real.

yes that is perfectly true, for real life scenarios a cigarette lighter would be much more useful and far more dependable to carry than a bow drill set. if you can't make fire with a bow drill from materialas found in the wild then it is just a party trick for light entertainment in which anything goes, even a cordless drill. each to their own. ATB

 

[Crank Cuffin]

if you can't make fire with a bow drill from materialas found in the wild then it is just a party trick for light entertainment in which anything goes, even a cordless drill.

Can you make a bow drill set and light a fire from it using completely natural materials?
If not, why are you demeaning and denigrating other peoples ideas as just a party trick.

What if in a "real life scenario" you run out of gas for your lighter but have practiced until proficient with a metal ball-bearing block? Surely you stand more of a chance of building a completely natural bow drill set and succeeding with it?

 

[Joonsy]

Can you make a bow drill set and light a fire from it using completely natural materials?
If not, why are you demeaning and denigrating other peoples ideas as just a party trick.

What if in a "real life scenario" you run out of gas for your lighter but have practiced until proficient with a metal ball-bearing block? Surely you stand more of a chance of building a completely natural bow drill set and succeeding with it?

i am not demeaning or denigrating anybody at all i just happen to have a different opinion, and i have been civil and polite with it. You can use whatever you want that’s perfectly fine, i am not criticizing you at all i just happen to have a different opinion (to which i am entitled too). My opinion is that it is better to practice with the materials you are most likely to find in the wild because it gives a realistic scenario of what you may find yourself in, you can either light a fire with those materials or you can't, and using those materials gives you a true and accurate feel in the hands of the method and materials used in a real life scenario. When i first tried the bow drill i was absolutely hopeless and it took me a long long time to get my first coal, in fact i seriously wondered if i would ever succeed, never in all that time was i tempted to take a shortcut in getting a coal by using easier materials that were not a true representation, it would have felt like a false achievement to me and just cheating (just me being critical of myself there, not others). After many many failures my persistence was eventually rewarded with success, and those failures and persistence learned me far more valuable lessons than taking a shortcut, it learned me where i was going wrong and how to correct it just as much as what i was doing right. The trouble with using something like a metal-ball bearing is that it is far easier to get a coal but you do not go through the same learning process, you sort of skip the hard bit to get results quicker, and in my opinion this teaches you far less about the method and feel you get in the hands using traditional materials, you are only learning how a metal ball-bearing feels in the hands which is completely different to a wooden bearing which is far harder to use. If you ever needed to use a bow drill in a real life scenario you would find it much easier to do so if you had practiced on traditional materials instead of metal ball-bearings, I appreciate this is unlikely and if you just wish to play around with the bow drill for no other reason than fun then it doesn't really matter what you use at all as its just purely entertainment. As i said in earlier post in teaching children i would make it as easy as possible by any means as its important for children to see success to gain confidence. Regarding your question can i light fire from completely natural materials, i have not tried doing so without a knife or string, however my point is string/sharp objects/shells/pebbles/wood can all be scavenged out in the wild should you not happen to have them, and that is the point of practicing with those materials, it is extremely unlikely that you would find a metal ball-bearing in the wild so there is little point in practicing with one other than for a bit of light hearted fun (and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that at all we all like fun in its many different forms). Anyway that’s my opinion on the matter, which is not a criticism of anyone, as far i am concerned anybody can do whatever they want, including me. That’s my lot. ATB, and again, each to their own.

PS - finally all i am trying to say as an example, when i first passed my driving test (so long ago), i learned in an austin 1300, when i changed that car for a marina i could hardly control the clutch as it felt different and unfamiliar because i wasn't used to it, see my point.

 

[ammo]

Too funny. Anyway, can we see your bow drill set.

 

[Joonsy]

Too funny. Anyway, can we see your bow drill set.

mines already on, your's ?, would be nice to see a few more sets 13 so far if i've counted right.

 

[Gweedo]

Here's mine.

The bow is hazel, the bearing block a bit of mahogany. The drills and hearths are L to R, Buddliea and Ivy and Willow

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[Joonsy]

Here's mine.

The bow is hazel, the bearing block a bit of mahogany. The drills and hearths are L to R, Buddliea and Ivy and Willow

nice one, i like your bow Gweedo, thanks for sharing

 

[Clouston98]

Good stuff!

I've made some ivy hearth boards, two new lime drills, one more willow drill and some more bearing blocks!

Here's the photo:

The ivy made some embers nicely, as does the willow and I'm feeling quite comfortable with it and I'm dead chuffed! Was going to make an ivy drill,but it was so twisted it was unbelievable! I'll try and find a nice straight bit and I'm going to try some hazel soon too .

After watching practicing quite a bit and making more parts and changing variables etc, I've seen myself improve quite a bit on technique, I'm really enjoying this .

Let's see some more!

 

[atlatlman]

Good stuff!

I've made some ivy hearth boards, two new lime drills, one more willow drill and some more bearing blocks!

Here's the photo:

The ivy made some embers nicely, as does the willow and I'm feeling quite comfortable with it and I'm dead chuffed! Was going to make an ivy drill,but it was so twisted it was unbelievable! I'll try and find a nice straight bit and I'm going to try some hazel soon too .

After watching practicing quite a bit and making more parts and changing variables etc, I've seen myself improve quite a bit on technique, I'm really enjoying this .

Let's see some more!

Just choked on my coffee when I saw all those. You've been a busy man. Did you like my new one?

 

[Clouston98]

Just choked on my coffee when I saw all those. You've been a busy man. Did you like my new one?

Yeah mate, it was brilliant!

 

[Joonsy]

Good stuff!

I've made some ivy hearth boards, two new lime drills, one more willow drill and some more bearing blocks!

After watching practicing quite a bit and making more parts and changing variables etc, I've seen myself improve quite a bit on technique, I'm really enjoying this .

Let's see some more!

That’s a bumper crop there on your above post Clouston :Wow:, well done for having a go and cracking it I’ve just made a really small bow drill set from stuff I had at hand for a laugh and it works fine, thin drills spin faster than thick drills for the same rotation speed on bow but produce less fibre and a smaller ember, my usual drills are about 15mm however this small set works fine and makes good embers. – Hazel bow 35cm, Rowan bearing 70mm x 13mm, Hazel drill 90mm X 8mm, Ivy hearth 70mm X 28mm X 12mm. Roughly speaking the bearing is about the size of a clipper lighter, the drill slightly thicker than a pencil, and hearth about the size of a matchbox though slightly longer, Lighter and pencil added on pics below for scale.

Any more sets out there?, only about fifteen sets posted so far, must be more than that on a bushcraft site surely.